He was about to go through that door, to touch her, when something jolted inside him.
A sharp chill ran through him, ice spreading from the tips of his fingers, creeping up his arm.
His thoughts, once fogged by grief and longing, now screamed in alarm.
He tried to pull away, but his limbs felt heavy, as though they had been chained in place by invisible weights.
Toby blinked, his vision sharpening for a brief second.
The Castle was gone and so was the forest.
In its place was an endless stretch of nothingness, a void stretching out in every direction, swallowing the light.
His mother's figure wavered, her warm smile twisting at the edges, distorting.
Her eyes, once full of love, now glittered with something darker, something hungry.
His senses were betraying him, slipping away as the dream tightened its hold.
Everything around him twisted, warped beyond recognition.
The figure before him was no mother of his.
It was something else.. something that wore her face, but had no soul.
It wasn't even real to begin with but a fragment of his own mind.
It was feeding off his weakness, pulling him further from reality with each passing second
His instincts kicked in and he jumped back.
Realisation dawned on him.
"This... this isn't real.
It can't be.
She's dead. I'm sure of it."
His senses dulled, his vision darkening, the world collapsing in on itself.
He could no longer hear his own thoughts, only her voice, only the sickening echo of it as it dragged him deeper into the endless void.
"Toby," his mother's voice was no longer soft; it was sharp, cutting through the haze like a blade.
"You can't leave. Not now. You belong here… with me."
His breathing quickened, panic flooding his chest as he realized he was sinking, drowning in this nightmare.
In that moment, he knew, if he didn't break free now, it would have dire consequences.
His mind was a mess, tangled in the weight of the illusion and the relentless struggle to keep his sanity intact.
His thoughts felt like they were burning, but he held on.
He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly.
He wasn't ready to give in.
This illusion wasn't enough to break him.
He'd seen too much already and this wouldn't be the thing to bring him down.
The appearance of his mother had caught him off guard, allowing the caster to exploit that moment of weakness.
Of all things, she was the last person he'd expected to see.
But that won't work again.
He would be dammed to fall for this again.
Seeing the woman who had raised him had thrown him off balance.
Now, he had control over his mind, and anger burned beneath the surface.
Toby had always guarded his past fiercely, and using it against him had crossed a line.
The usual calm and humorous Toby had reached his limit.
Defence wouldn't hold him back now.
But that didn't mean he was reckless or unhinged..no!.
He was more cautious and calm than ever.
He took a deep breath and collected himself.
He pulled out one of his daggers, its blade gleaming with a sharp, cold edge.
Without hesitation, he pressed the tip against his palm, feeling the weight of his decision.
Then, in a swift motion, he did what any sane person would.
He raised it high above his head and
* Swish *
In a swift motion, without any hesitation...he plunged it deep into his left thigh.
The steel slid through his flesh with a sickening ease, his skin parting as the blade bit into muscle.
A breath hitched in his throat, but he kept smiling, his lips curling upward in a twisted grin.
With a slow, deliberate twist of the dagger, agony tore through him like wildfire.
There was a sharp wound in his thigh, it wasn't fatal but deep enough to make his vision flicker.
And that's exactly what he wanted to achieve.
The veil of illusion was lifting and Toby could clearly see the surroundings become clearer.
He yanked the blade free, the metal slick with his blood.
Pain exploded in every nerve, hijacking his senses, grounding him back to the reality.
This was the final nail, the shattering of illusion.
* Crack. Crack. *
There was sound of cracking echoing all around him.
His body trembled, pain wracking him, but he didn't scream.
His legs remained planted on the ground, unwavering.
Before him, the world fractured like glass, the illusion breaking apart in broken shards.
Blood gushed from the wound, a thick, dark stream pouring down his thigh in heavy, steady pulses.
It soaked his skin, flowing down like a crimson river, tracing every muscle.
It reached his knee, then streamed down in thin lines towards his ankle.
By the time it hit the ground, the droplets splattered with a quiet rhythm that echoed in the silence of the night.
* drip drip *
Yet Toby didn't flinch.
His mind was sharper than before, a contrast to the dissolving world around him.
He glanced at his mother.
Her face was melting down like wax.
It seemed to dissolve slowly, features blurring as if the world itself was swallowing it.
Eyes, once sharp, softened and sank into the skin, losing their clarity until they were mere impressions.
The nose and mouth followed, edges fading.
Flesh seemed to break, not burning, but receding, blurring into an indistinct, fading silhouette where identity once held firm.
It was a body slowly erasing itself from existence, like smoke thinning into the empty air.
It was indeed a grotesque sight to watch but Toby didn't waver.
He looked ahead and stood tall, his demeanor even stronger.
And with a final crash, the world around him was obliterated and he found himself back in the forest.
"About time," he muttered, his voice low but filled with determination.
He knew this wasn't over.
The caster was still out there, lurking, ready to ambush him.
But so was Toby.
It was time to turn the tables.
' Come forward, you bastard.' he licked his lips.
' I won't harm you, I just want to ask you some questions.. politely '